Bulletin Q&A Article, published 5-14-23:
Please advise me on Reiki. Is it accepted by the Church?
Reiki was developed in Japan in the late 19th century. It is a technique that claims to reduce stress and also promote healing. The Reiki training manual explains that Rei is the all-knowing God-consciousness and Ki is life energy, and that blocks in the flow of the Ki can cause bad health. The manual states: “When a person receives a Reiki treatment, the Rei or God-conscious part of the energy assesses where the person has blocks, and then directs the healing energy, usually to the block that is nearest (the practitioner’s) hands. The Reiki energy then works with the negative thoughts and feelings that are blocking one’s natural flow of Ki and heals them.”
In response to interest in the technique among Catholics, the U.S. Bishops issued a statement which concludes: “Since Reiki therapy is not compatible with either Christian teaching or scientific evidence, it would be inappropriate for Catholic institutions, such as Catholic health care facilities and retreat centers, or persons representing the Church, such as Catholic chaplains, to promote or to provide support for Reiki therapy.”
Healing by divine grace and healing by physical techniques are two kinds of healing accepted by the Church. We can appeal to the Church to intercede on “behalf of the sick through the invocation of the name of the Lord Jesus, asking for healing through the power of the Holy Spirit.” We can also have “recourse to natural means of healing through the practice of medicine.”
But Reiki falls short on both counts. It claims to be spiritual, but does not rely on God who bestows His healing power on those He wishes. The Reiki techniques are learned from a human master. Healing is not based on Christian faith, but “for the Reiki practitioner the healing power is at human disposal.” It is about learning to channel some life-force, not praying for divine grace. There is also no evidence that Reiki techniques represent a physical technique that can pass as practicing medicine. The Bishops state: “In terms of caring for one’s physical health or the physical health of others, to employ a technique that has no scientific support (or even plausibility) is generally not prudent.”
The Bishops conclude that submitting to Reiki falls more under the realm of superstition. They state: “Without justification either from Christian faith or natural science, however, a Catholic who puts his or her trust in Reiki would be operating in the realm of superstition, the no-man’s-land that is neither faith nor science. Superstition corrupts one’s worship of God by turning one’s religious feeling and practice in a false direction.”
The full text of the bishops’ guidelines can be found at: https://www.usccb.org/resources/evaluation-guidelines-finaltext-2009-03_0.pdf.